AFGHANISTAN - AFGANISTAN

His Excellency Burhanuddin Rabbani, President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan

Let me begin by expressing my gratitude and profound appreciation and that of the delegation of the Islamic State of Afghanistan to His Excellency the President, to the Government and to the friendly people of Italy for the warm hospitality extended to us while in the beautiful and historic city of Rome. The existence, for over half a century, of diplomatic ties between Afghanistan and Italy has brought the two countries very close; it has indeed been so, where in our days of trial we have always had friendly Italy on our side.

I am very pleased to address this historic World Food Summit on behalf of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. While in parts of the earth mankind is today exploring outer space - making vast appropriations of billions of dollars for research and the discovery of forms of life on other planets - we must not lose sight of life on our own globe. We must not forget the tragic syndrome of mothers who lose beloved children due to famine and starvation. However, the convening of such a summit, with the objective of seeking effective approaches and taking the necessary measures to achieve a satisfying increase in food production and food security, bring to the attention of the whole community the increase in the gap between poor and rich, hungry and well fed and on our shared responsibility to change these differences.

The Declaration and Plan of Action to be adopted by this Summit will certainly constitute a major international milestone of the end of the twentieth century. Afghanistan today is not only a landlocked and least developed country but also a war-stricken one. It is also very unfortunate that armed conflicts still continue in Afghanistan and cause, among other calamities, shortages in food production.

Afghanistan, by reason of its climate, is the meeting place of three Asian geographic areas: middle eastern, central Asian and south Asian. This is reflected in its agricultural output. Wheat has been produced for thousands of years, as shown by research on pre-history. In some regions of the country there is also rice cultivation.

More than 15 percent of Afghanistan's land area is arable, with more large prospects opening up through the new irrigation projects. The historical annals and recent history show that Afghanistan has a self-sufficient agricultural economy in normal atmospheric precipitation years. However, irremedial drought and famine may occur with catastrophic consequences as happened in 1946 and 1971. This cyclical phenomenon has necessitated emergency international assistance - greater than in previous years in order to remedy the extremely harsh effects of large scale food shortages.

The foreign military invasion which started in 1971, has had serious effects on Afghan agriculture, especially because of destruction and upheavals resulting in disruptions to human life, traditional irrigation works and all other agricultural activities. From among the 1.7 million who were killed, many were people active in agricultural fields.

The consequence of the recent years' tragedies in the case of Afghanistan is critical proof of the necessity for a revitalization of work. It is agreed that what is needed is to create the necessary conditions to eradicate poverty. This requires durable peace.

We agree with all the international studies and research, indicating that the equal participation of women and men is conducive to achieving sustainable food security for all. We agree with the objectives and actions proposed regarding these matters in the Plan of Action of the Summit. To achieve food security in Afghanistan, we certainly need as a first stage, to solve conflicts peacefully and create a stable political environment and justice through respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We need to establish a transparent and effective legal framework suitable for the socio- economic environment. It is our duty to establish transparent and accountable government and a decentralized administration. This is needed for an effective and equal participation of all segments of Afghan society in all decisions and actions that affect their food security. Such is the requirement of scientific studies which also correspond to the teachings of Islam commanding us to consolidate the system of justice.

To eradicate the poverty which is endangering the lives of our citizens is also our Islamic duty. We must work hard to secure the physical and economic access of all Afghans to sufficient and safe food in both urban and rural areas. Sound national policy in this matter cannot be implemented except through the recovery of national adminsitrative unity and peace.

Afghanistan is conscious of the multi-faceted character of agriculture. Providing adequate and reliable food supplies at the family, regional and national levels requires vast effort and the cooperation of all Afghans. We need to promote an adequate allocation for the use of public and private investment to foster human resources, sustainable food production, agricultural and rural development. This is particularly needed in those provinces of Afghanistan where Afghan refugees will be returning from Pakistan and Iran. International assistance is critically needed in this matter.

One of the major difficulties in revitalizing animal husbandry and agriculture in Afghanistan, is the unfortunate existence of anti-personnel landmines. At least 10 million anti-personnel landmines endanger the lives of the population and especially the farmers in Afghanistan. We are very thankful for the help we receive from some governments and from some non-governmental organizations. Even all this assistance unfortunately does not cover the magnitude of the problem and the need for agricultural rehabilitation is becoming critical. This is the case in Afghanistan and in some other countries where the existence of anti-personnel landmines makes agricultural production highly hazardous.

The gravity of the problem of landmines in our country is well-reflected in the report of his Excellency, the United Nations Secretary-General to the 47th Regular Session of the United Nations, indicating that 45 000 landmines have been discovered in an area of 25 km².

This unfortunate problem is one of the legacies of the 18-year imposed war on the Afghan people. There is also the problem of poppy production used to produce opium and heroine which has taken an alarming turn in the last three years in the southern regions of the country which were invaded and ruled by the Taliban militias. As our delegation in the United Nations stated at the Security Council on 16 October 1996, the reports of UNDCP make it clear that 95 percent of the fields under poppy cultivation are situated in the area which was invaded and is under the occupation of the Taliban.

Yet another legacy of the invasion are the thousands of displaced persons, among whom children, women and the elderly are the first to suffer under such circumstances. It is a matter of particular anguish, however, that still another problem is the severe food shortages. We therefore ask the international community to help the Afghans in their endeavours to bring peace and administrative unity in their country through the cooperation of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan.

The Declaration of this World Food Summit will contain an item stating that a peaceful, stable, political, social and economic environment is the essential foundation that enables us to give a definite priority to food security and povery eradication. We agree with the Summit Draft Declaration stating that democracy, promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development and the full particicpation of men and women, are essential for achieving sustainable food security for all.